Steven Tyler Compares Doctors to Drug Dealers on ‘Dr. Oz’

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler has always been known for his outspoken nature, and he didn't hold anything back during his Sept. 10 appearance on 'The Dr. Oz Show.'

Visiting the program to help promote his doctor's new book, 'Being Sober,' Tyler recounted his long struggle with addiction and included a warning for viewers who might think substance abuse only happens to people who go wandering into back alleys looking for recreational drugs.

"Y'know who the new dealers are?" Tyler asked. "They're doctors. The dealers aren't on the street. It's not a shady guy on the street. Y'know how many doctors I've gone to and said, 'I'm in a 12-step program, I've been sober for ... ' He goes, 'Ah, good for you!' On the way out he says, 'You need something to sleep tonight?'"

As Tyler pointed out, that's a dangerous offer to make if you're speaking to a recovering addict. "I'm trying to tell him that I can't take anything that's mood altering, 'cause if I do, I like to ride it," Tyler admitted. "We all do, right? You get on a water ski, you wanna go again next week. Kiss her -- I wanna do it again! It's 'euphoric recall,' it's not so odd. It's what humans -- y'know, we're all touchy-feely. Even those that say that they're not and men that don't cry, they still want to be touched by their mothers. Skin is the biggest organ in the body. So, we like that feeling of, y'know, opiates."

Written by Betty Ford physician Dr. Harry Haroutunian, 'Being Sober' features a foreword penned by Tyler, who credits Haroutunian with helping him get his sobriety on track. The book claims to offer readers "a proven path toward an emotional sobriety and a rewarding new life based on gratitude, dignity and self-respect."